As Ye Qiu slipped into unconsciousness, an old, deep voice echoed in his mind:
"I am the Old Ancestor of the Ye Clan. In my lifetime, I strode unchallenged across heaven and earth. On the day I passed away peacefully, I left a wisp of my divine consciousness inside this jade bracelet, making it the Ye family's heirloom."
"Who would have thought that, as time passed, my descendants of the Ye Clan would be reduced to such a pitiful state? How tragic, how lamentable!"
"Since fate has brought us together today, I shall pass on everything I have learned in my life to you."
"Remember this: with my inheritance, you must uphold justice. You must never do evil or walk the path of villainy. If you do, you will die without a burial place!"
And then…
Ye Qiu watched as the white jade bracelet he had given Zhang Lili suddenly transformed into a five‑clawed golden dragon, which burrowed straight into his chest.
"Ah—!"
Ye Qiu jolted in shock and snapped awake.
When he opened his eyes, he was still in Zhang Lili's rental apartment. But Zhang Lili and Guo Shaocong were long gone.
"Bastards," he muttered.
Ye Qiu cursed and climbed to his feet.
At that moment, he was stunned to realize that he felt no pain at all—not a single mark on his body.
He clearly remembered that Guo Shaocong had stomped and broken his fingers, and the agony had made him black out. Yet now, his fingers were completely healed, even his skin looked better than before.
What was going on?
Suddenly, Ye Qiu thought of the dream he'd just had.
Could everything in that dream have been real?
Ye Qiu closed his eyes.
The next second, his face twisted with shock.
Countless strange pieces of knowledge had appeared in his mind: medical skills, martial arts, cultivation methods, Qimen Dunjia, feng shui, metaphysics…
And among them was a book: the Complete Collection of Maoshan Talismans!
It recorded all kinds of Maoshan talismans and incantations: Bad Luck Talisman, Swift Travel Incantation, Evil‑Dispelling Talisman, Heavenly Eye Opening…
One hundred and eight in total!
"My God… what is all this?"
Ye Qiu was completely dumbfounded.
Beep… beep… beep…
A sharp phone ring jolted him back to his senses.
He pulled out his phone. The caller ID showed Bai Bing. He quickly answered, speaking respectfully: "Director Bai, you needed me?"
"Get back here immediately. I'm waiting for you in my office." A cold yet melodic female voice came from the other end.
"Director Bai, may I ask what this is about?"
"Something you did yourself, and you still dare to ask?"
Click!
The call ended abruptly.
Ye Qiu's heart sank. From Bai Bing's tone, he could tell something was very wrong.
"Something I did… what did I do?" he muttered, hurrying off to the hospital.
…
Bing lived up to her name—fair‑skinned, tall and slender, with delicate features that carried a natural elegance. Yet she always wore a cold expression, keeping everyone at arm's length. For that reason, her colleagues secretly called her the Iceberg Goddess.
Beautiful women never lacked suitors. Many men had chased Bai Bing, but none had succeeded.
It was as if women were born with a streak of pride in their bones—and Bai Bing was prouder than most.
Of course, she had every right to be.
Though young, Bai Bing was an outstanding physician. At 23, she earned her doctorate from the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
By 24, she was famous throughout Jiangzhou.
At 25, she was exceptionally promoted, becoming the youngest surgical director in Jiangzhou Hospital's history.
In the entire Jiangzhou medical community, Bai Bing's name was known to all.
What puzzled Ye Qiu most was that, after he joined the hospital, he'd heard from colleagues that several top hospitals in the capital and Suzhou‑Hangzhou had repeatedly offered Bai Bing huge salaries to poach her—but she had turned them all down.
She never explained why, and no one else knew.
It was a mystery.
When Ye Qiu arrived at the hospital and stepped into the main hall, several nurses at the reception desk whispered and pointed at him, their disgust plain to see.
His sense of foreboding only grew stronger.
The nurses' expressions made one thing clear: something had happened, and it was about him.
But he hadn't done anything wrong!
With no time to think, Ye Qiu headed straight for the surgical director's office and knocked.
Knock, knock.
"Come in," a cold voice called from inside.
Ye Qiu took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and walked in. Bai Bing was flipping through medical records.
"Director Bai, you asked for me?" he said softly.
Bai Bing didn't look up, her eyes fixed on the records in her hand.
Ye Qiu's heart skipped a beat. His unease skyrocketed.
He had worked under Bai Bing for a while and knew her character well. If she didn't reply, it meant she was furious.
"Did I really mess up? Why else would Director Bai be angry?"
He asked himself, but went over everything in his head and couldn't think of a single mistake.
Bai Bing stayed silent, and Ye Qiu didn't dare speak. He stood in front of her desk and stole a glance at her.
Today, Bai Bing wore a silvery‑white professional suit that accentuated her tall, perfect figure. With every breath, her chest rose and fell noticeably, as if straining against her blouse.
Her long black hair was tied back neatly, revealing a stunning, delicate heart‑shaped face.
Sharp. Cold.
She kept Ye Qiu waiting for a full five minutes before finally lifting her head. She slammed the medical record down in front of him and snapped coldly:
"Did you write this?"
Ye Qiu picked it up, glanced over it quickly, and nodded. "Yes, Director Bai. I wrote it this morning."
"Why is your medical record exactly the same as Guo Shaocong's?" Bai Bing demanded sharply. "Tell me the truth—why did you plagiarize Guo Shaocong's work?"
"Exactly the same? That's impossible," Ye Qiu hurried to explain. "I wrote this in the office this morning. I didn't plagiarize anyone."
"If you say you wrote it, do you have proof?"
"I do. Zhang Lili brought me a cola to the department this morning. She watched me write it."
"Zhang Lili has already testified for Guo Shaocong that he was the one who wrote it," Bai Bing said, her face icy. "What else is there to explain?"
Ye Qiu stared at her, stunned.
He realized at once: the two of them were framing him.
"Director Bai, I swear I wrote this! I stayed up late last night, going through piles of materials to finish it properly. As for Zhang Lili testifying for Guo Shaocong, it's because they—"
"I don't want to hear it," Bai Bing cut him off. "The medical administration department already knows about this. Starting today, you are reassigned to the care worker station. Without my permission, you are not allowed to treat any patients."
"Director Bai, I—"
"Get out!" Bai Bing pointed at the door, showing no mercy.
Ye Qiu clenched his fists, forcing down his burning anger and humiliation, and stormed out of the office.
"Guo Shaocong. Zhang Lili. Just you wait. I will never let you get away with this!"